John k atwatbtl



SENWII 'H MLU'lL FIP85592 (No Model.)

J. B. ATWATER. ELECTRO MAGNETIC ATTRACTION DEVICE FOR CARS. No. 357,516.

Patented Feb. 8, 1887.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- JOHN B. ATWA'II'JR, OF GHILAGO, llrLl-Ntllh'.

SPECIFICATION forming Application tiled May I, 1886.

To all 10710711 it may concern:

Be it known that. 1, JOHN B. A'rwwnn, residing at Chicago, ii. the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen .i' the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in l'lleetro-Magnetie Attract-ion D'evices for Cars, of which the following is a full description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section on line as .r of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a cross-section on line 3/ y of Fig. 1; hfig. 3, a detail of the positive side of the :n'nmtnre-bcd, showing the projections for breaking the circuit on the positive side; Fig. 4, a detail of the magnet and connections; Fig. 5, a detail of the brush in contact with the positive wire.

This invention rclatesjo the propulsion of cars by the employment of electricity as the motive power, and has for its object to conslruet a simple and effective electromagnetic attachment which, when applied to the car, in connection with current-wires and conduct.- ors, will operate to propel the car forward, the elcctro-magnets and their enacting armatures being so arranged in relation one to the other and to the current-wires and conductors that. when one set is magnetized the other will be demagnetized, and the magnets and armaturcs are in such relation that. as a magnet is disconnected from the current and hecomes demagnctized it will be non-acting on I the armature which it is leaving and until it is in position to coaet with the next preceding armature, the disconnection and non-action ing positive, thereby leaving the workingmaguct. to exertilsl'ull force without any backward draw from the deinaguetized magnetand its natureeou'sisis in the several parts and combination of parts hcrei uaftcr descri bed, and pointed out in the claims as new.

In the drawings, A represents stringers, of wood or other non conducting material, located in a foundation or support, A, of-boards or other non-conducting material in the constrnetion shown, the support being placed on cross-pieces between the rail-stringers.

B mghlocks formed with or suitably seen .4 to the stringers A, each block having its in. per face inclined, tho incline or one block terminating at the a terminal point being in a. higher plane than the starting-point,

atortinppoint'ot the in- ,cline for the next block, ti

at-t or Letters Patent No. 351.515, dated February a. 1587.

Serial Kc. W331 (No mndolJ leaving a clear break between the terminal lh($l blocks 1 are of wood or other non-couduc-ting material.

0 represents the arniat-urcs or plates, one seen red in any suitable manner to the inclined face of each block l. The lcugt h of the plate 63 C is less than that of the inclined face, and the plate starts from a point forward of the starting-point ot' the incline, and terminates at the terminal point of the incline, leaving a space between the starting-point. of one plate and 65 the terminal point of another plate, which constitute a non'acting or dead space.

D represents the magnets. The blocks B,

- with the plates C, are located equidistantapart,

and the magnets D are arranged in such relation to each other and the armatnrcs or plates 0 as that one magnet will always be in use or actin on the armaturcs, as hereinafter described. TlTe magnets D are each of the ordinary U or horseshoe shape, each arm or pole having 5 wound thereon a coil, D, and the distance between the poles corresponds to the distance between the parallel blocks Band plat-es, so that one pole of the magnet coaets with one series of armaturcs or plates 0 and the other so pole with the other series, asshown in Fig. 2.

E represents the supports for the magnets. Each support-is formed in two parts, bolted or otherwise secured together to-clamp the magnettirmly between them. The support; is made of wood or other non-conducting material, and is bolted or otherwise fastened to the bottom of the car or other support-,to locate the end of the magnet in proper relation to the armatures or plates 0, and, as shown, a brace, 0 E, is provided, running forward and upward from the support llt'o the bottom of the car, to resist the forward pull on the magnets.

F represents the standards or hangers, and located adjacent. to each magnet on the-post 5 tive side, and bolted or otherwise secured at the upper end to the bottom of the car or other support. Each hanger at .its lower end has" pivoted or hinged thereto an arm, a, the swing -of which is controlled by a spring, a, one e'nd m of which is secured to the hunger, to have the free end bear against. the arm a and hold the arm against a too free outward swing. The arm a has mounted thereon, near its lowerend, an anti-friction roller, b, which roller, as :05 the car is drawn forward, successively strike! point and the starting, as shown in Fig. 1. 55 p a I as-2.51s

the projectionscon the face of the blocks Band pivoted, and a button, i, connected with the lifts the arm a from engagement with the circuit-wire e, thecxt-reme coda! ol' thearm a being formed to run in contact with the wire 0, er:-

'cept when raised therefrom by the projections c. The arm n, with the anti-friction roller 1), in conjunction with the projections 0, form a brush for making and breaking the circuit, between the wire I: and the magnet D, and the to projections c are located at the starting-point i5 and passes the t-rn|inal end of the nrm'a-;

of the incline of the block 13, as shown in Fig.

3, so as to bridge the space ll and lap over the starting end of the armature or plate C, 1

thus breaking the ci rcuit as the magnet reaches t-nre or plate 0. l'he projections e have-a rounded form on the acting edge, to facilitate the riding thereover of the anti-friction rollers, and the proiections are located one for each break B, and in such relation to the terminal point of the armature or plate C as that the roller will engage the projection and break the circuit as the magnet reaches the point where it ceases to act with a forward pull on the armature, so that the magnet becomes demagnetized and non-acting;instantaneously, preventing any backward draw. The wire e is positive and is charged from a dynamo or other currcnt-prodtu-ing mechanism, and this wire is strung along the stringers A above the support A, and as the stringers and support 1 are both formed 01' non-eonducting material thew-ire is kept insulated. As shown, a guard, f, islocated above the wire 0, and in such re- 5 lation to the wire and the end (I as to maintain the end 11 in contact with the wire 1: between the projections or bridges c, for transmit-ting the hanger or arm G. so that when the frceend of the switch is on the button i connection is "bad between the wires 1 and the wire 0' through thedmnger or arm (i, allowing the current to paze'jrmn the magnets to the wire c, thuseompieting the circuit.

1 represents the suppor for the magnets D and hangers or arms PG and switch it, which can be the bottom of the i';ll',UJ a piceeof wood or other non-conducting material atinched to the underside of the car.

.J represents the wheels at a car, mounted on axles J in any usual and weitkuo n manner.

K represents the rails on which the wheels run.

L represents lhc slringcrson which the rails 1 are secured, and, as shown, running from 5 stringer t0 stringer areeross piewsli', to sup port the armature-Mal formed by the parts A g A B, such bed being wholly innit-pendent of thetrack-bed. The armature-bed islocated midway between the rails K, and lies in a perft'cet-ly horizontal position, with the positive wire on one side and the negativcwirc on the other, and this bed with its wires extends the whole length of the track.

The operation will be understood from the foregoing description, but briefly is as follows: The wire 0 is charged from a dynamo or other supply with a strong current, and this current is transferred to the magnet 1'). When the c, energizing such magnet and producing an action between the magnet .and the armature or plate C, over which the magnet is passing, by which the car will be drawn forward, and

end d of the arm it is in contact with the wire current from the wire a to the arm a, and the 5 such action will continue until the magnet current passes from the arm a to the hanger 1 reaches the limit of the armature or plate C, 0 F, thence to the coil of the positive arm of the i at which point the roller 1) strikes the projecmagnet l), passing through the wire 9 of the coil, which is attached to the hanger F, and, after passing through the coil of the positive arm, the current is carried to the coil of the 45 negative arm by the wire which connects the two coils l). The wire 9, after forming the coil of the negative arm, leads, in the construction shown, to a button, h. The wires 9 for the respective magnets are connected with o the enacting hanger F, and these wires g for both magnetsload to a common button, h, on the negative side, so that the current from both magnets is discharged at a common point.

G represents a hanger or arnnthe upper 5 3 end of which is attached bybolts or otherwise to the bottom of the car or other support for the magnets, and the lower end of which, d, is turned or formed to engugeand be in contact with the negativewire c, the wirchavi nga 6 gum-41,)",thercover,corresponding totbegnard f of the positive wire 0. This wire a is supported on the side of the stringer A, and is insulated by the stringer A and support A, and this wire leads hack to the dynamo or v 65 other source of supply for the current.

I! re ircsents an arm or lever forming a switch tween the button 7:, to which it is the other is energized, thus keeping up a conrection. The current, afterpassing through the magnets, is conducted by the hanger or arm The switch 1-! enables thecu'rrent to be shut off, it desired for any purpose, from the wire 0'. The magnets are not. inclined in the coneline ot' the armatures or plates 0.

It will, be noticed that before one magnet reaches the point where it ceases to operate,

in coacting relation with its armature, so that for a part of the distance traveled over the coacting armaturcs of the respective magneto both magnets are energized and working, the

by being dcmagnetizcd. The other uo relation that as one magnet; is demagnetized 1'15 stunt and uninterrupted pull in a forward di- G b k .tolt he dynamo or other source-of sup- 12o struction shown, and their-acting ends are-cut 1:5 to lie in a plane parallel with the plane of inthe other magnethas been magnetized and is I 30 arman-s... 7

result being that there cannot ossibly be any 3 break in the forward pull on the ear.

I The magnets l) eachfhavc a positive and negative pole, and the armatures are provided 5 for each pole, one series being independent of the other, by which double power-is produced over a magnet with one pole only.

The charging of the wire 0 ly a dynamo is accomplished in the usual manner. and the dynamo can be of any well-known form, and is not, therefore, either shown or described. and the car is not shown as to all its parts, 1 but only sulliciently to illustrate the attachment of the magnets and hangers in their rei :5 lation to each other and to the armaturcs or I plat/cs.

The arinatnres or plates being long. 0 face or surface is provided for the magnet to draw I over, and thc'incliuat-ion given the armatures 29 produces a forward draw at all points, which draw, in effect, is a continuous one, without break, as when one armature has been passed another armature is at work with the other magnet.

The switch it enables the circuitto be broken without any trouble or delay, but does not form any part of the complete circuit, except for cutting-out purposes, as the circuit is formed by the connection of the magnets with 0 the wires 0 c, and the circuit would be complete if the switch were omitted and the wires g run direct to the arm G. This construction would complete the' circuit, and the break could then be made between the wire e and standards F by providing means for raising both arms a from their contact with the wire 0 simnltaneouslyfinst-ead of having one arm in contact when the other is raised to maintain the current. The magnet-wire running di- 40 rectly to the arm G is shown in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 5 the arm n. is shown in contact with the positive wire, Fig. 2 showing the arm araised.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with clectro magnets rigidly attached to the bottom of a car, and a non-conducting bed located between the rails of the car-track, separate from andindependi cut of the tics and rails, and having fixedly arranged thereon non-generating longitudinal inclined armatures equidistant apart, of electric-circuit wires and circuit makers and breakers cone-ting with the electric wires and clcetro-magnets, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

, 2. An independent non-conducting armatore-bed centrally located between and below the track-rails, and having non-generating inclined armaturcs rigidly attached andloeated- {:0 at cquidistnnces apart, in combination with electric-circuit wires and electric making and' breaking brushes carried by a car and connected with elcctro-magnct's on the car, and bridges for breaking the circuit, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with electro-niagucts fixedly attached tothe bottom of a car, and a special non -eonducting bed having inclined arnmtures thereon, of electric circuit wires carried by the bed, and bridges located on the 7 bed, and circuit-brushes lifted by the bridges atregular intervals to break the connection with the (.llClllbWllC, substantially as and for the'purposes specified.

4. The combination, with electric-circuitwires, oi electro-magnets attached to the bot tom of :1 carat the center, and an armature bed having inclined arinatiires and located between the track-rails, said magnets and armatures having such relation that when one so magnet is charged and in operation the other 3 will be dcmagnctized and non-acting until the bridging-space is passethw hereby the magnetizing and dcma-gnct-izing of themagnets are offecu-d alternately at regular intervals, sub- 8 stant-ially as specified.

5. The combination, with the non-conductj ing armature-bed A B and arinaturesorplates 0 supported thereon between the track-rails, l of the magnets I carried by a car above said 0 armatures. and electric-circuit wires for passing an electric current through the magnets, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. The combination, with a non-conducting armature-bed, A B, arinatures or plates 0, and magnets D, carried by a car, of the circuitwirc c, arms 0, having ends (I, and-hangers E, eon'neeted with the coils D of the magnets for magnetizing the magnets, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. The combination, with a non-conducting armature-bed, A B, armatures crplates C, and magnet D, of the circuit-wire 0, arm a, with end 12, hanger F, and a connection with the coils I) of the magnet, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

S. The combination, with a non-conducting armature-bed, A B, armatures or plates C, and magnets D, of the hangers F, each having an arm, a, wire e, hanger G, wire a, and a connection between the hangers F G and thccoils D' of the magnets, substantially as and for the' purposes specified.

9. The combination, with a non-conducting arinat-u re-bed, A B, armaturcs or plates 6, and magnets l), of the hangexsF, each having an arm,u, with end (7, bridges 0, wires, hanger G,wirc c, and a connection between the hangems F G and coils l) of the magnets for energizing or demagueiizing the magnets, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

10. A non-conducting armature-bed, A B, provided with bridges c and carrying the cir edit-wires c c, and armaturcs or plates 0, in eombinationwith the magnets l.) and a connection bet-wm-n the magnets and the circuit- -wiu-s cc, substantially as and for the purposes ice IIO

specified.

JOHN A'IWATER. \\"itncs.-'cs:

ALltl-Ili'l II. Anins, HARRY '1. Jesus. 

